Scott Forstall speaks about software for iPhone 5 during an Apple event in San Francisco. AP Photo

Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iOS Software, demonstrates a new mapping feature showing Big Ben in London during an introduction of the new ...

Phil Schiller announces the new iPhone 5 during an Apple special event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California. AFP ...

Just hours after Apple showcased the sixth-generation iPhone 5, tech reviewers' have given an unanimous verdict: though not extraordinary, the iPhone 5 still packs a punch. Apple called the iPhone 5 'the thinnest smartphone in the world' with an anodized aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S.

Pre-orders for the phone will begin on Friday and shipments on September 21 in the US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan. The phone will be available in 100 countries by the end of the year. If you're planning to place an order, here're the first impressions of critics across the world to help you make the right decision.

SlashgearApple has mixed together evolutionary and revolutionary where each were required, and so we get the bigger, 4-inch display, the sleek new chassis and the internal magic, such as LTE and an A6 chipset, that we were hoping for. It’s a beautifully constructed, cohesive combination of design and materials: even if you’re not an iOS fan, you’ll have to appreciate the package Apple has put together. If, though, you are an iOS lover – and there are plenty of them around – then the iPhone 5 is easily the best model yet. It’s the significant refresh many were hoping of the iPhone 4S, and it’s going to sell like wildfire.

CNETThe iPhone 5 offers modest but important improvements over the iPhone 4S. A bigger screen, new processor and 4G capability are all necessary to keep the iPhone up to speed with fast-moving competition from the likes of Samsung. On first impressions though, it doesn't seem to go beyond them.Fans of enormous screens will be disappointed that Apple has only increased the iPhone's display by half an inch, but with a host of new software features, a new charging port and the promise of improved camera tech, there's reason to be excited.The iPhone 5 will have stiff competition in the performance stakes, as Samsung's quad-core Galaxy S3 has played an absolute blinder in every test we've thrown its way.

New York TimesI’ll grudgingly admit that the Lightning connector is a great design: it clicks nicely into place, but it can be yanked out quickly. It goes in either way — there’s no “right side up,” as there was with the old connector. And it’s tiny, which is Apple’s point.Overall, though, Apple seems to have put its focus on the important things you want in an app phone: size, shape, materials, sound quality, camera quality and speed (both operational and Internet data), and that’s good.

MashableApple iPhone 5 isn’t the biggest or most powerful smartphone on the block. But that may not matter to iPhone purists, those who have fallen in love with the original iPhone 4 designs and were horrified at the thought that their precious device might develop a glandular condition and grow to near-tablet sized proportions. At first glance, I’d say Apple has achieved something remarkable: making the iPhone bigger, more powerful, and possibly even better, without changing the way it feels in your hand. The iPhone 5 is, finally, an LTE phone, but until I get it in the real-world it’s hard to assess how much of an impact that will have on day-to-day use.

ABC NewsWhile other phones, like Samsung's Galaxy S 3, are built of plastic, this phone feels and looks much higher-end. The metal makes it feel really substantial in hand, yet the phone is very light. A lot of the improvements happen inside, with a faster processor and faster data speeds. The phone did seem faster, and it was most visible because of LTE data transmission. So, did the iPhone 5 live up to the hype for me, after all the months of rumor watching? The phone is exactly what I thought it would be -- faster, beautiful, and slightly bigger -- and in the end that's perfectly okay with me. And I imagine it will be with many others.

GizmobirdOver all the iPhone 5 seems a bit underwhelming. Ever since last years’ iPhone 4S announcement, disappointment seems to be synonymous with the iPhone brand. There have been some significant improvements in software but nothing hugely innovative. The hardware development department at Apple Inc. seems to have ground to a halt altogether. Admittedly though, the appearance of the iPhone is quite distinguished from the rest of the iPhone family, and I mean this in a very positive sense. If you don’t want the best phone on the market and would prefer an over rated piece of status symbol then the iPhone 5 is perfect for you.